Harrier/Strategy
The Harrier is a versatile, agile VTOL jet fighter. It possesses the speed of jets while like helicopters it can rearm while in air. Its armed to deal with any type of threat in ground or air. It can also deploy manually controlled chaff countermeasures to confuse enemy missiles. While idle it flies idle over the battlefield in tight circles. It requires a short attacking run before engaging a target. The Harrier is an expensive aircraft. Additionally its production building, the Deployment Zone, has a build limit of 1. That also makes it difficult to mass produce Harriers quickly. Tactics The best tactic with the Harrier is to use it in numbers. The Harrier is a little too expensive to be frontal-attack units, but approximately 9 (basic) or 7 (Elite) of these could bring down a Sentinel with a full salvo of missiles and gunfire. Alternatively, you could create Harrier "wolf packs" to harass the enemy's economy, although you need to be mindful of the enemy's defenses. Also, note that this arguably among the most micro-management-intensive air unit in the game, but if wisely used, it could help turn the tides of the battle. Also, in an event where your AA defenses fail, Harriers could be used against a helicopter rush, although with considerable casualties if supported by even tier-1 AA units. If you plan on using Harriers even as support units, make sure to have a very good and stable economy. Since they are able to attack all kinds of targets, be it on the ground, sea or air, they are very versatile units that could be adapted for either offensive or defensive roles. Another lucrative strategy is to use Harriers to spot targets for your Howitzer Artillery. Counters The biggest weakness of Harriers is that they are not capable of attacking targets that are too close to them: they need to retreat and then attack from a distance. What this means is that units such as Vipers and Hinds can take advantage of this weakness and try to keep close to Harriers at all times while constantly firing rockets at them, making for an easy victory on their part. This same weakness applies to ground units, but it is far easier for an Harrier to outrun a Quad Cannon than a Viper. Additionally, although Harriers are effective against infantry and vehicles, if a group of Igla Troopers manage to garrison an area while being attacked by Harriers they will certainly gain the upper hand. Harriers are also slow to build, and since only one Deployment Zone may be built at all times, it is not possible to amass them like Raptors or MiGs. Another effective measure would be stationing heavy AA at your units, although with considerable casualties. But because of the Harrier's chaff ability, missile AA defenses might be rendered partially ineffective. Twin Fangs are great counters, but must be supported by lots of Gattling Tanks to avoid them being destroyed by large groups of Harriers. Tunguskas on their own perform quite poorly against Harriers, even when amassed, so support them with Grumbles. Category:Subpages Category:Unit strategies Category:ECA unit strategies